I had just thought of this very thing this week after the revealing fact that it may take a 1000 years to replenish what California has removed from it's groundwater. That is just if normal precipitation occurs!

The fact of the agricultural impact is lost on most americans but not you Patrice and you have hit it square on the head again. A migrant from California as you and Don are get it. I also think a lot of "conservative thinking people" have also migrated because of the hard left climate there. Reap what you sow, physically and morally and see how things turn out. Almost every state west of the Mississippi (esp. the NW states) really hate to see Californicators move into their states (present company excepted).

You ain't seen nothing yet economically and the fall of California will be great. Wish it weren't so, but you can't change this climate scenario. Not possible, no matter how much water you try to import. Desalinization may be their only alternative and guess how much that will cost. The greenies will have fits too when we increase the salinization of the oceans by removing water in this matter. Good luck is all they may have.

When I spoke to a high water official I heard what I already knew. California has had 10 year droughts..bad droughts and even 100 year ones..Many different drought periods throughout history. This is just how climate is. Then thought we did not house so many people. Or grow so much for so many across the country. Where I live we have the best water supply of any place here. We at our house have conserved forever and keep cutting back and back. Why if we have such a water problem do they approve developers to build all these new homes for more people to use more water?? When too many homes and warehouses already built are standing empty? They say we can supply them with water? Oh yea? I thought they said we have little already. Do they remember??? The water person said it is not as bad as they say it is in the news etc. Yet it is bad. Why do we welcome every person who can get across the boarder? I am not a liberal and neither are my family or most of our friends but we do feel outnumbered..especially when it comes our vote. I used to live in the East and thought of California like Johnny Carson described it:..the nuts the flakes and the fruits. Now I know many of us are not so yet are thought of that by many in other states. I guess there are many stereotypes for other states too. There are Many things I would like to change here. My close friends in other states say the same where they live. I agree this is a very scary situation for the Whole Country with the drought. We are warned. It really upsets me to see government places being watered in the rain..and so on and on. I heard the first person got fined yesterday. I hope people finally realize this IS serious. We do. It seems so many people think looking at their Facebook page is more important than where our country is going. Are the people all around you getting together to work at the problems you have in your area? When are people going to realize that it is not all about Them? They need all of us to live and better wake up and work together to get through some of the world's problems. Thanks for saying it like it is. Sarah

I live here now and peopke have blinders on! The are talking about allowing people to water 2 days a week, people are pissed and I understand why many of us do ration and are careful but the city officials allow the streets to flood with watering cycles for.center dividers, companies.are.allowed to wash down the driveways (health issues) the list goes on. It's sad that right now it's a finger pointing game, well everyone needs to suck it up and say this is how it's gana go for EVERYONE, companies, busnisses, residents, everyone, it has to be done! If I could afford.to I would rip up the front yard plant raised flower beds with fruit and veggies and a drip system that wastes no water, alas I can't afford to do that so there srw so many ways to hekp ration water, but again California's have blinders on and the attitude "it won't happen to us!" :( sad sad sheepals.... and I'm not gana even talk about the water companies.... ;)

California has a bigger problem than the drought; environmentalist. There is plenty of water in California. Billions of gallons of water flow from the Sacramento river into the bay every day to save some obscure fish or snail or something. Ditto for the rest of California's rivers. Just the water that is wasted everyday in California could save it. Suprisingly and slightly contrary to popular belief, most of the water used in agriculture in California is used to grow crops of export. NOT for the U.S. consumption but to make a profit selling overseas. I'm a capitalist and have no problem with making a profit but when push comes to shove it makes more sense to use our own resources for our own benefit. So we could continue to grow all the broccoli and lettuce we wanted to in California with the water that is available. It is a simple matter of resource allocation. California, it's governor and legislature and it's farmers are choosing to grow walnuts and pistachios for sale overseas with the water they have instead of growing vegetables for U.S. consumption.Is California in the middle of a drought? Yes indeed, it happens cyclically and one day soon, a year or three we will again see floods in California streets and mud sliding down into housing tracts. Followed a year or two later by fires. In other words weather just like normal and what we have always seen. I feel sorry for the farmers who are not getting the water allocations they should get. I feel sorry for the California citizens who continue to pay more and higher taxes to politicians bought and owned by unions and welfare bums. But make no mistake this will pass and California weather will once again return to what it's always been; wet/dry/mud/fire.

Regarding the Redoubt, most folks who move here (especially Californians) bring three major problems.

1. They bring tons of cash and bid up real estate so high that it becomes out of reach for young families.

2. They bring few 'life skills' and are not motivated to lean any. They do not assimilate. For example, how many of them hunt? Work up their own firewood or even heat with wood? Build their own homes with their sweat and labor?

3. They bring their socialist views with them and vote as such. Our cities, long the bastion of socialists, now outvote the vast rural areas and force strangling rules and regulations upon these areas. Many would love to use government to shut down wood stoves, take away or gun rights, shut down homeschooling logging and mining etc.

I feel sorry for our young families. The days of them being able to buy a small rural lot and put a starter home such as a mobile home on it, digging a simple somewhat reliable well and building an inexpensive yet very functional septic system (or God-forbid an outhouse!) are long gone.

As for relieving the California drought, I suggest that they stay where they are and start removing their 1.1 million swimming pools, washing their clothes by hand, and installing outhouses.

I'm with you Montana Guy - As I have researched expenses and opportunities in the Redoubt, particularly Idaho and Montana, I have been disappointed to find out how many regulations and rules and controls they have - do draw just one example, both Idaho and Montana have state wide planning, permitting, and zoning laws, so that you have to get county permission to split into pieces a property that you already own, you have to get permission to build a house, and along the way comply with a huge range of requirements, and in some cases you have to get approval and permitting for everything you do to landscape it afterwards (for example, see Shoshone County's 'soil disturbance' permit). In most of those counties, you have to get approval and licenses for virtually any kind of business, no matter how small.In contrast, there are still a number of states in the Midwest and south where there are either no or minimal zoning or permitting laws on properties outside of city limits. Where I live, the only permits available are for septic systems and wells, and even the county septic system person says they aren't needed if you live far enough out.I don't think it is a coincidence that the states with less restrictive laws and business requirements are growing and have more jobs available - in states where regulations vary widely, such as Texas or South Carolina, as far as I have seen, most job growth is in the less regulated parts.

Jonathan, you are being wise to look for areas with decentralized decision/rules/regulations making. There are many things to love about Montana. But your are right that we are suffer from stifling rules and regulations forced down our throats by city dwellers.

Montana has only 7 cities of any size. These so-called 'Big 7' comprise only a tiny .6% square miles of Montana yet a whopping 36% of the population.

It is no coincidence that Jefferson coveted liberty and despised cities. Best wishes in your search.

I read the book The Last Days of The Late Great State of California by Curt Gentry. It came out in 1968 and made quite a stir. It demonstrated what would happen after the big earth quake that sent us into the ocean. Like a terrible long drought California and its crops would be nil. Also many many many other things that help the rest of America live. No state is without something it gives to others. We all help each other here in America. It also told of the good and also the bad of California and it's people. So many things could happen to stop food from here getting there not just a big drought. Also for people here from getting to the rest of America. I have as I said before, not always lived here and also thought differently about California then. I feel like you all think of us as a curse. Do you think we think of you as all okies or other bad words people put on others? We are no all like that as you are not all like others say about other areas. They are stereotypes. I can't believe myself I am defending California. Believe me I loved my home state and always will and California is not my home state!! :) I have known people say they lied when they had just moved from California to another place. Only telling the truth when they were welcomed and became a part of their new community. How sad they felt they had to lie. I have lived in other places and I can tell you people there are very liberal or too tree hugging or what ever are everywhere. There are also many good loyal conservatives everywhere. Please do not judge some all of any group by some. Get to know some of us. We are all Americans. Please don't make me feel hated in my own country. And I don't own a pool. But have always had a garden and used was little water as possible to grow it. And am a Christian. I vote my beliefs and do not only vote by party. I still cry when I hear the National Anthem. Sarah

You are taking all this way too personally. I love California and I grew up on the East coast. I lived in San Bernardino in the 80's and my son's high school had 16 armed guards. Why? It is politically incorrect to answer that ut the answer is the large number of blacks and hispanics. I have to admit y son never had a problem at the high school and things were calm at school but maybe that was because they had 16 armed uniformed police all the time. I have visited San Bernardino recently and it is a little scary now. You can get mugged in the broad daylight in a supermarket parking lot. I lived in Central California in the 90's. Beautiful place, I loved it but knew it ws a little unsafe and I never went into Salinas at night. I visit California often but I'm careful where I go. Many years back I would use a convenient motel in Stockton to stay overnight now I wouldn't go to Stockton day or especially night. California is still beautiful but it has become "occupied" by "unfriendlys".

I am sorry for commenting again but I would like to impart several good things to read or look at that will help everyone anywhere to garden much easier and with much less or no watering. Please watch the Back to Eden film at backtoedenfilm.com. This will make you understand so many things..it is free to see. Also you can read any Ruth Stout books and or Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza. They all advocate mulching the top of soil not tilling at all to forever start changing your soil. Back to Eden is well worth seeing and will change your ideas forever. He is a Christian and wants to tell others what he has learned from God's principles about how God set up the earth for us. The other two also mulch but not the same as he does. These ideas use little or no $ to do but the results I know for myself are amazing. We all want to enjoy our gardening more while growing more. These ways will give you those guides. Watch the movie all the way through for the whole idea and it answers any questions you may think of later about it all. Thank you for allowing me to comment on here. I have always loved reading this blog and learned so much through it,..but seldom have commented before. Sarah

My idea is to give California to the Chinese to pay off our national debt then make Mexico the 50th state.I was assigned to a Naval Air Station in CA for 3 years in the 80's. In my 21+ years of service I was never more elated to transfer from a duty station than when I left 'The Golden State'.